Load your gun, aim for your target, take a deep breath, now shoot, have a look at the target and see how you went!

Load your gun, aim for your target, take a deep breath, now shoot, have a look at the target and see how you went! If you missed, do this all over again. When you hit the target, move it back a little and try again.

Load your gun: Invest in your personal growth. Focus on your personal development, learn as much as you can and as often as you can. The more information you have, the more ammunition you have to shoot with. The more experience you have, the better prepared you will be to deal with any situation thrown your way.

Aim for your target: Set some goals, short term, long term, health goals, career goals, relationship goals, financial goals, material goals, spiritual goals - whatever they may be, just set them. Make sure they are measureable goals and that they each have a deadline to keep yourself accountable to that goal.

Take a deep breath: Creat an action plan for each goal, break it down in years, months, weeks, days, daily tasks. Prepare yourself to achieve that goal and to stay on track in the given time you have to achieve it.

Now shoot: Give it your all, 99% just won't do. Do everything within your power to hit your goals and never give up. Do this with the understanding that from potential failures comes success, and comes a valuable lesson. Use these lessons to reload your gun. Pursue your goal and dont stop until it has been achieved. With a positive mentality you will achieve all you set out to achieve!

Have a look at the target: Assess your progress by measuring your goals and achievements against the given deadline. If you hit your goal, enjoy it, if you didnt try again but this time you will better prepared.

Success doesn't come after; one attempt, after giving it 80% nor does it happen by accident. Success is a process and a journey, never forget to enjoy it!

So.. Load your gun, aim for your target, take a deep breath, shoot, have a look at the target and see how you went! If you missed, do this all over again. When you hit the target, move it back a little and keep on going. Enjoy everystep because this is what makes you the person you are.


Ps. if you didnt believe that failures are stepping stones towards success, hopefully this will convince you otherwise...

 

Good Luck!

Nico

knowledge is like sunscreen, useless if you don't apply it..

Apply: to put to practical use.

How simple is that?! - it depends doesn't it, or does it?

If it is within my control, why can't I bring myself to doing it?

I know what to do, I'm just not doing it?

I want to dedicate this post to all the people reading this, thinking - that's me. I have the know how, I have the knowledge, I've read the books, I've done the Personal Development, but I'm yet to apply any of it.
Why haven't I done anything with this knowledge?

This is a great time to be honest and ask yourself a series of questions;

• What is it I am afraid of? rejection? failure? success? the unknown? being under prepared? Use this to identify your potential "temporary" barriers. Understand that all of these challenges are in your control, hence why they are only temporary.
• Is this what I really want?
• How will I feel if I was to apply myself?
• What are the Pros and Cons of taking action?
• Do I understand that I can only get better from giving things a go?

I is easy to get lost in "doing lots of nothing" and equally as easy to convince yourself that doing things, but not doing them well is enough. I will give you an example of what I mean;

• E.g. I go to the gym 3 times a week - however when I am there I workout at 50% of what I am capable of, I don't really apply myself. Yet, I still get upset at the fact I'm not getting results? - I convince myself that going to the gym is good enough, however based on my results its obvious its not. - This example shows that we can hide behind just doing things. Forgetting that its how we do things that matters.

The only thing we can do is confront our fears. Do it today!
A quote I like, that my dad has consistently repeated to me;

"Don't leave for tomorrow, what you can do today!"

This is so true, we all do it!

So; If you are afraid of making a cold call, practice, train yourself, do some role play - if you are afraid of approaching a business on your own, take someone with you - if you are afraid of not succeeding, remind yourself that without attempting something first, its impossible to succeed - Remember 90% of the things we worry about, don't actually end up happening! think about it..

So, when you do things, do them well. 

Turn that into a habit. If with everything you do this week, you do it to your best, I guarantee you that you will get results. It's impossible not to! If you continue to cut corners, or put things off, that will also become a habit - and that is definitely not a habit conducive to success.

Apply: to put to practical use.

How simple is that? Very - you can do it today!

knowledge is like sunscreen, useless if you don't apply it..


Good Luck!

Nico

Life is your classroom

Earning only comes before learning in the dictionary - have you heard that before?

It is quite often we look to gain wealth before knowledge and this is a common mistake, especially amongst our newest generations. Generation Y and Z. But lets not generalize, it is common amongst many people.

The ladder of success is not horizontal, it is vertical - by this I mean it can only be scaled from the bottom. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be at the top before you even begin, actually its quite good to have your sights on the top - your eventual goal, but, it is important we understand that each and every step is crucial in one's success.

Each step of the ladder holds key information, key experiences and key lessons we must learn in order to progress successfully.

You see with each experience comes a valuable lesson that prepares you for your next endeavour - starting at the top without being prepared in more cases than one results in failure. This is why we must not get ahead of ourselves, trying to skip essential lessons and learnings life throws our way.

It is important we too  understand that challenges and obstacles can only make us stronger and better prepared, for when you reach the top, risks become bigger, responsibilities become greater your room for error narrows - forcing you to rely on the lessons you learnt along your climb.

In essence we must ride the wave of life, learning as much as we can, exposing ourselves to as much as we can without losing sight of our eventual goals. Because it is with each and every lesson we learn, that we scale a step higher in our ladders of success - our ladder of wealth and well being.

I encourage you to be open to new things, to new learnings, and expose yourself to as many forms of personal development that you can - because earning only comes before learning in the dictionary - not in the journey of life.

Good Luck!

Nico

You can never become happy, but you can always be happy...

You can never become happy, but you can always be happy...

Happiness is a choice, what have you chosen to be today?

I am a strong believer that if you apply a positive attitude to anything you do, you guarantee a better chance of success.

Positive affirmations are a great way to start your day, whether they are written or spoken - they help you kick the day off with smile and with confidence.

Whilst this may seem like a simple concept, and a little silly for some. It is actually quite effective. Starting your day with a smile is almost guaranteed to put you in a great frame of mind, to tackle any challenges your day may throw your way. And a statement that affirms things to be true gives you confidence to tackle the day knowing you will succeed.

Begin to use positive language in your thinking, this will stem back to that "inner voice" I have mentioned in previous blogs. If your "inner voice" is a positive voice, your actions in turn will be positive actions. Your every day approach will be a positive one which will create for you positive results.

Some example of positive affirmations are;

• I am excited for my day ahead because I am going to be my best at work today.
• I am excited for my studies today, I am one step closer to my degree and my new career.
• I am going to have a great day today, just because I can and that is the kind of person I am.
• I am a happy person and I am going to share my positive attitude with all my friends today.

Some weight loss examples are;

• I am at my goal weight, and it feels amazing.
• I am losing weight every week.
• I am fitting into my new clothes and I look fantastic.
• I hit my goal because I have a healthy lifestyle.

A great way to understand the advantage of a positive outlook on life is through the outlook of a child. A child doesn't wake up thinking "how on earth will I get through today!?" 

A child wakes up filled with positivity and excited; for breakfast, for cartoons, to play games, to go to school, to play sport, to get to swimming. A child also has the ability to bring out the best in anyone. How often do you see adults go from miserable beings to the most cheerful and bubbly people in the presence of a happy child.

Happiness is infectious! 

Think about it; How likeable are happy people?!

It is also very much the opposite case with unhappy and negative people.

I cannot think of one negative attached to choosing to be happy, or choosing to have a positive approach on life. In fact when given the choice to be unhappy or happy which would you chose? So why is it we always try and hold onto anger or sadness? It is important to have a balance of the two, like anything balance is key. However the choice is yours. So when you are looking for positive results, stop and make the choice.

Write it or say it

"I am happy today. When I am happy I do great things!"

Many times the best thing to do is smile, and automatically you begin to feel the positivity take over.

Remember;

You can never become happy, but you can always be happy. Happiness is a choice!

Good Luck!

Nico

Activity vs Productivity - have you ever confused the two?

Are you very active or very productive?

It is very easy to confuse activity with productivity, and you may feel like you are doing a lot, but in actual fact you are not really getting much done. A good way to measure your productivity is with results. Keep yourself accountable, keep measuring your progress against results - this will allow you to stay productive and not have you wasting your time just being active (busy doing lots of nothing).

The same goes for being focused vs. being serious - these are two different things. A frown on your face doesn't mean you are a focused person, nor does a smile or a happy attitude mean you are careless person who lacks focus. It is important to stay focused, however don't hold back from enjoying what you do - a frown will not get you closer to your goal. Whilst it may make you "look" focused, its not fooling anyone!

The moral of this very short story is, enjoy what you do. Focus with a smile and be productive!
Measure your progress and judge your productivity based on your results.

Good Luck!

The Yes' and No's ..How many do you have left?

This Post is specific to fat loss.
When you find yourself at that point where it hits you.. 

"I'm overweight and I need to do something about it today!"

I am going to put it very simply - I love this analogy.

This analogy is in regard to food and lifestyle choices we make and what impact they can have on our health...

Pretend you have two bags with you at all times. One has a limited number of Yes' in it, and the other has an equal amount of No's inside.

No's

Yes'

 How it works is like this; you can not refill either of the bags until you have completely finished up all your Yes' and your No's. Both bags need to be empty before your refill. Ok are you ready?

Lets start with a few scenarios - feel free to do this with scenarios that you can relate to;

You start off healthy and have a well balanced lifestyle..

Your friends invite you out for a few drinks - you say YES

You don't plan your meals this week and are confronted by take away at the nearest food court, you ask yourself; should I just get some take away? - you say YES

Its a long weekend and you think to yourself; should I sleep in and miss my first two meals - you say YES

You are at home and your friends say; Let's order some pizza - you say YES

Scenarios like this continue and one day;

you find yourself at that point where it hits you.. 

"I'm overweight and I need to do something about it today!"

I'm sure you see where I am going with this..

...You have started a training and healthy eating regime and you are confronted with the same scenarios;

Your friends invite you out for a few drinks - you say NO thank you

You don't plan your meals this week and are confronted by take away at the nearest food court, you ask yourself; should I just get some take away? - you say NO I'll wait til I get home

Its a long weekend and you think to yourself; should I sleep in and miss my first two meals - you say NO I'll get up early and train before breakfast

You are at home and your friends say; Let's order some pizza - you say NO, that's fine guys I'll cook something

As a PT I have witnessed my friends saying that it's hard making these changes because they feel deprived, they feel like they are missing out, like they are saying No to everything now! - this can sometimes be upsetting and frustrating for some.

Its understandable why you may feel like you are saying NO all the time when you are participating in making  healthy lifestyle changes and have committed to making a positive difference in your life - you see in the first scenarios you used up all your Yes'.

Now you have to use up all you have left, and due to your previous lifestyle choices all you have left is a whole lot of No's.

Like I mentioned earlier, the rules are simple. You cannot not refill your bags until both are empty. So whilst you may feel like you are saying NO all the time, remember it's only because you have been saying nothing but YES previous to this.

Life is about balance, so think twice before you use up all your Yes', try and even them out with some No's in between, you will find that this will lead to a healthy and balanced lifestyle, and you wont feel like you are "missing out" and saying No to everything.

Something to think about..

Not a bad way to look at it, if I say so myself.

Good Luck!

Nico

PS. I couldn't help myself, I had to post this now rather than waiting - I'll leave a little more time in-between my posts.. maybe.

Do you enjoy the detail each moment has to offer?

What just happened? Today went so quickly, what did I do? I blinked and it was gone

 a day I will never get back..

I was sitting here thinking about tomorrow's activities and it struck me, how often do we think about the future and fail to enjoy the present?

Do you do it too?

You wake up in the morning and already your focus is on the day ahead? ..You start the day and your focus is already on what you are doing tonight? ..You are spending the night and already your focus is on what's on for tomorrow? ..You're waiting all week for the weekend, and already you begin to anticipate what's in store for you the next weekend? ..You are off on a holiday and already you are thinking about what you have to do when you return home? ..it goes on and on. I am sure you are sitting there thinking of similar situations.


The more I think about this, the more it comes to my attention that we tend to wish our lives away one moment at a time. We are always looking to what is next. The best way I can describe it is through doing an activity. Our approach to life is similar to this;

• Get a small portrait photo or a picture and hold it it up in front of you - this symbolises the present moment
• Now stare at the picture, but focus on the background, on what lays beyond the picture you are holding - whilst you may be looking at the picture you fail to see the detail and grasp what it has to offer
• As you do this the picture becomes blurry and the background much clearer

This to me is a perfect example of what we sometimes do in our everyday lives. As a result we tend to miss out on all the detail each moment has to offer. In essence we fail to embrace entirely what each moment (picture) has to offer, because our focus is elsewhere.

This is not to say that focusing on your future is a bad thing, or that we should live from moment to moment. However, we need to balance the two and not get lost in wishing our lives away.

Sometimes we need to pause, get our eyes back on the picture in our hands and enjoy all the detail it has to offer - you never know what you may be missing when you look beyond what is directly in front of you.

Take the time to appreciate, to be grateful, and the time to enjoy each moment. Life is a precious thing; don't wish it away one moment at a time...

Just a thought...

Nico